Cigarette dispensing humidor



May 29,1951

Filed July 14, 1947 J. LAICHEE CIGARETTE DISPENSING nummoa 2Sheets-Sheet 1 I/Vl/E/v TOR,

j y/ z z 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN valvraR,

J. LAlCHEE CIGARETTE DISPENSING HUMIDOR Filed July 14, 1947 May 29, 1951Patented May 29, 1951 UNITED STATES e'rENT OFFICE i The inventionrelates to improvements in cigarette dispensing humidors as described inthe present specification and shown in the accompanying drawings thatform a part of the same.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and easily operatedmechanism whereby through the manipulation of a simple device thecigarettes may be brought into exposure exteriorly of the casing one ata time.

Another object of the invention is to provide efficient dispensingmechanism embodyin means operable during each dispensing operation fordisturbing the main body of cigarettes to insure movement towards thedelivery mouth of the cigarette compartment.

And generally the objects of the invention are to provide a simple,durable and elficient humidor and dispenser which will be attractive inappearance, compact in form, and which can be produced at reasonablecost.

13 Claims. (Cl. 312-83) ing compartment and carries the dispensingmechanism, and B indicates the cover which fits over the frame A andrests on the base I which supports the whole.

The-device is preferably rectangular in plan and of slightly greaterwidth than the length of a cigarette, and includes a transverse rearwall 2 positioned at one end of the base I, and a transverse front wallpositioned inwardly a distance from the other end of the base. These twowalls 2 and 3 respectively constitute the front and rear ends of thecigarette holding compartment 4.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel features of construction, arrangements and combinations of partsdescribed in the present specification and more particularly pointed outin the claims for novelty following.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved dispensing humidor, withthe outer casing shown I in dotted lines, and parts of the frameworkbroken away and the dispensing mechanism in the position it assumes justprior to bringing a cigarette into exposure.

Figure 2 is an end elevation rearwardly with the front wall removed andcertain parts shown in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a rear end elevation of the device with alternate positionof the tiltable bottom shown in dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 6.

' Figure 5 is a side elevation of the left side of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure '7.

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 1'l of Figure6.

Figure 8 is a plan view of one end of the humidor with cover in positionto show a modified form of hand control.

Figure 9 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 9-9of Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings A indicates generally the frame which containsthe cigarette hold- By referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that therear wall 2 has a portion cut from one edge thereof below its verticalcenter to provide a recess 5, the purpose of which will be made clearhereinafter.

The front wall 3 has a slot 6 therein positioned below the verticalcenter of the wall and extending transversely of the humidor and beingof the required dimensions to permit of the passage of a cigarettetherethrough.

The walls of the slot, or delivery mouth 6 are preferably inclineddownwardly to the delivery edge thereof and the wall is preferably of athickness slightly greater than the diameter of a cigarette so that thecigarette can lie in the delivery mouth as and for a purpose to bedetailed fully hereinafter.

The rear and front walls 2 and 3 respectively are preferably constructedof wood and the rear wall is preferably of considerable thickness and iscut away at its inner top edge, as is shown clearly in Figures 1 and 6,to provide a downwardly inclined shoulder l extending transversely ofthe device and positioned on a considerably higher level than thedelivery slot 6 in the front wall and on the same inclined plane as thelower wall of said slot.

Portions of the bottom, and the complete side walls of the cigarettecompartment may be formed from a single sheet of metal bent to providenarrow transversely arranged inclined bottom -portions 8 and 9 atopposite ends of the compartment and side walls Ill and II.

The bottom section 3 at the rear of the compartment is inclined inaccordance with the incline of the shoulder l and is secured thereto andthe inclined bottom section l! extends into the delivery slot 6 in thefront wall 3 and rests on the lower wall thereof and extends rearwardlyinto the compartment a short distance, and such rearwardly extendingportion is supported on a block l2 carried on the base I The side wallsIt and II extend upwardly and 3 terminate substantially flush with thetop edges of the end walls 2 and 3, with the front ends of said walls [8and II spaced slightly from the front wall 3, as shown at Hi.

It will be noted by referring to Figure 4 that the compartment 4 is ofslightly lesser width than the walls 2 and 3 and that the wall is inwardfrom the outer edges of said walls 2 and 3 at one side of the device.

Narrow metal straps Hi and I are positioned at opposite sidesrespectively of the compartment 4 and connect the transverse rear andfront bottom sections 8 and 9 and these straps extend downwardly fromthe rear bottom section B in gradually increasing deviation from thecommon inclined plane of the rear and front sections 8 and 9 until nearthe front section 9 to provide a cradle, as at I6, to support the endsof the cigarettes under certain conditions, from which points they riseto the level of the inner edge of the front bottom section. It will benoted that a cigarette lying in the cradle formed by the straps at therear of the bottom section 9 will be on a slightly lower plane than theedge of said bottom section and cannot pass to the delivery mouth untilraised to the level of said inner edge.

A tongue ll made of a spring material is secured at its one end to therear bottom section 8 and extends downwardly between the straps it andI5 and terminates just short of the front bottom section 9, and is somounted that its free end is continually urged downwardly.

The tongue I! is arched slightly transversely, as shown in Figure 6, sothat when it is restrained against instinctive downward movement it willlie above the common inclined plane of the bottom sections 8 and 9 andwill normally support the cigarettes out of engagement with the straps Il and 15.

It will be apparent that on any degree of release of the restraininginfluence on the spring tongue the said tongue will move downwardly andthus disturb the equilibrium of the cigarettes piled thereon and as suchrelease of restraint against the spring influence of the tongue takesplace in predetermined relation to other essential operations in thedispensing process which make movement of the cigarettes necessary, therequired disturbance to cause rolling movement of the cigarettes towardsthe delivery mouth is assured.

A guide block [8 positioned within the cigarette compartment above thefront bottom section 9 and spaced therefrom slightly greater than thediameter of a cigarette provides a narrow passage leading to thedelivery mouth just deep enough to permit of one cigarette at a timeentering the delivery mouth. The block [8 preferably has its top surfacerounded, as at 19, to influence the piled cigarettes downwardly towardsthe entrance of the passage to the delivery mouth.

2% is a plate which normally lies on a horizontal plane below theinclined bottom of the cigarette compartment. This plate extendslongitudinally of the device between the end walls 2 and 3 of thecompartment 4 but is free of contact with said walls, and extendstransversely from that side of the device opposite to that in which therecess 5 is located to a point slightly short of the edges of the wallson that side in which said recess is located, and has a rearwardextension 25 which projects into said recess 5 beneath the horizontalportion of the wall 2 which overhangs said recess. The extension 2| isprovided with a wear plate 22 on its top side.

The plate is rotatably mounted at the side of the device farthest fromthat in which the recess 5 is located, on a rod 23 which at its oppositeends is mounted in the wall 2 and the block I2 respectively. It will beseen that the plate 20 can be tilted downwardly towards the side inwhich the recess 5 in the wall 2 is located.

A number of coiled springs 24 are positioned between the base I and thehorizontal plate 20 at the side of the rod 23 nearest the free edge ofthe plate, and these springs exert upward pressure against the saidplate to normally hold the extending portion 2| of the plate inengagement with the horizontal upper wall of the recess 5, in whichcircumstance the plate is in its true horizontal position.

A block 25 is secured to the horizontal plate 20 beneath the springtongue I? and provides the restraining influence against downwardmovement of said tongue. This block is of such height that when theplate 20 is in its horizontal position the tongue I! will be held to itsuppermost position slightly above the straps, or arms, i4 and I5 so asto hold the piled cigarettes normally free of contact with said straps.

The degree of tilt of the plate 20 is such that when fully tilted thefree end of the tongue i? will lie slightly beneath the straps l4 and I5and will thus cause the cigarettes just to the rear of the entrance tothe passage to the delivery mouth to be lowered onto the straps l4 andIS, in which circumstance the first cigarette rearwardly of said passagewill lie just below the level of the inner edge of the bottom section 9and partially obstructing the said passage and will thus block thedownward movement of the cigarettes therebehind and thus preventcongestion in the said passage to the delivery mouth.

The plate 28 has a lateral extension 26 hinged thereto, as at 21, andextending along its unsupported edge, the said hinged extension, or arm,at one end extending into the recess 5 in the rear wall 2 parallel withthe portion 2| of the plate 20, and at its forward end projectingforwardly of the plate, as at 28, and terminating slightly short of thefront wall 3, as shown in Figure 5.

A spring finger 29 secured to the top side of the plate 2e and extendinglaterally into engagement with the top surface of the hinged member 26provides means for exerting continued downward pressure on said hingedmember to cause downward movement of said member as the plate is tilted.

'Ifilting of the plate 26 against the influence of the springs 24 iseffected by means of a device 30 of substantially inverted U shapehaving its arms 3| extending downwardly through slots 32 in the rearwall 2, the slot or opening in which one arm of said device operatesopening into the recess 5 above the extension 2| of the plate 20 so thatwhen said device 30 is depressed the arm operating in said opening willmove downwardly against the said extension and force the plate into itstilted position. The wear plate 22 being in the path of the arm of thedevice 30 relieves the surface of the member 2| from wear.

It will be noted by referring to Figure 3 that when the plate 20 is inits horizontal position its top surface and that of the hinged member 26are on the same horizontal plane, and that as the plate is tiltedthrough the medium of the depressor member 30 it causes a downward pullon the top inner edge of the member 26 and therefore'causes the latterto lower vertically without tilting, rather than to swing on an are asdoes the free edge of the plate due to its being pivotally supported atits far edge.

The forwardly extending portion 28 of the hinged member 26 is providedwith a finger 33 which extends forwardly beyond the front wall 3 of thecigarette compartment and moves upwardly and downwardly in a spaceprovided by cutting away the edge of said front wall, as at 34. Thisfinger 33 is preferably in the form of a flat strip of metal having itsbroad surface lying on a horizontal plane.

The tilting plate 20 carries on its under side an arm 35 which issecured to the plate at some point, or points, as at 36, and extendslaterally to a point beneath the hinged member 26 and is there bent toprovide a portion 31 which extends forwardly beneath the finger 33 inspaced relation thereto, and terminates substantially even with theouter end of said finger, or to bemore precise, within the limits of anarrow transverse housing 38 between the front wall 3 of the cigarettecompartment and a wall 39 which extends transversely of the device inadvance spaced relation to said wall 3.

The housing 38 is partially closed along one side of the device by meansof a plate 40 extending between the walls 3 and 39 from the tops of saidwalls downwardly to a point slightly above the finger 33.

4| is an endwise tiltable block adapted normally to lie on the base Iwithin-the housing 38 transversely of the humidcr and being of therequired depth that its top surface when it is lying on its edge withinthe housing will lie very slightly below the bottom wall of the deliveryslot 6 in the front wall of the cigarette compartment, so that acigarette rolling down the inclined wall of said slot will be depositedin a horizontal position on the top edge of said block. This block hasits under surface cut away at its end which lies at the side of thedevice at which the arm 31 is located, as shown at 4'2, and is mountednear its cut away end, and in proximity to its top edge, for rotation ona pin 43, which latterextends between the walls 3 and 39, wherebydownward pressure on the rounded end of the block will cause the portionthereof at the other side of the fulcrum point, to be raised and thusraise the cigarette thereton to a vertical position, in the mannerillustrated in Figure 1.

The tilting of the cigarette holding block or rack 4| to bring thecigarette to a vertical position is accomplished coincidently with thetilting of the plate 23 through the pivoted connection between the arm31 and the reduced end of the block and this connection preferably takesthe form of an eye-pin 44 secured to the outer end of the block andthrough which the outer end of said arm 3'! extends loosely.

--It will be seen that downward pressure on the member 30 will tilt theplate 2!], which will cause the arm 37 to bear down on the reduced endof the block 4| and thus rotate said block on its pivot, causing theportion thereof carrying the cigarette to rise to a vertical positionand carry the cigarette with it.

An elevator 45 operates vertically within the housing 38 through themedium of the finger 33 carried by the hinged member 26 of the plate21!. The elevator preferably comprises a strip of rigid materialarranged parallel with the end wall 40 of the housing 38 and connectedat its lower end to the finger 33 of the hinged member 26 whereby (iii61 up or down movement of said finger will cause like movement of theelevator.

The elevator has an inwardly extending horizontal ledge 46 near itslower end on to which the lower end of the cigarette being dispensed isadapted to be placed when the block 4| has been raised to its verticalposition, and the elevator has been lowered, coincidently with thetilt-" ing of the block to bring the ledge into position to receive thecigarette.

The elevator is further provided with inward- 1y extending pairs ofspring clips 41 between which the cigarette is forced in the raisingthereof to a vertical position and by means of which the cigarette isheld against returning downwardly again with the block M on the returnof the latter to its horizontal position ready to receive anothercigarette from the delivery slot 6.

it will have been apparent from the foregoing descriptionthat tilting ofthe plate 23 will cause the finger 33' and the arm 37 to move downwardlycoincidently, the finger moving the elevator downwardly and the arm 3'!lowering the corresponding end of the block 4| and raising the other endand carrying the cigarette thereon to a vertical position within thegrips of the clips 41 and with its lower end resting on the ledge 45.Release of downward pressure on the depressor 30 will permit the springs24 to snap the plate 20 upwardly to its horizontal position, thusraising the finger 33 and the arm 3'! coincidently, with the result thatthe elevator is raised to cause the top end of the cigarette to bebrought into exposure through a suitable opening in the cover B,indicated at 48, and the block 4| is thrown back to a horizontalposition ready to receive another cigarette from the delivery mouth 6 ofthe compartment 4.

It is desirable and necessary to the efficie'nt working of thedispensing mechanism that during the tilting movement of the block 4| inthe raising of one cigarette the cigarette next to be dispensed beallo-wed to assume a position within the delivery mouth 6 ready to rollonto the block 4| immediately upon the return of said block to ahorizontal position, but locked against escape from said delivery mouthwhile the block is dispensing its load and is not in position to.receive it, and that when the tilter block returns to its horizontalposition the cigarette lying in the delivery mouth be released and thuspermitted to roll onto the block, and further that while a cigarette islying on the block the entrance to the delivery mouth be locked againstthe admission of further cigarettes until the one last on the block isin process of being dispensed. and that during such process the lastmentioned lock be released to permit the next cigarette moving into thedelivery mouth, which latter must be locked against its escape pendingthe return of the block to receive it.

To accomplish this alternate locking and release of the opposite sidesof the delivery mouth successively locking gates 45 and 5|! respectivelyare employed positioned respectively at opposite sides of the front wall3 and moving alternately to closing and opening positions in relation tothe delivery mouth 6.

The gate 49 is positioned within the cigarette compartment parallel withthe wall 3 and is sup ported on a fulcrum pin 5| from said Wall to lienormally across the inner side of the delivery mouth when the rack 4| ishorizontal as shown in Figure 6. This gate has a laterally extending arm52 overlying the finger 33 and the arm 31 andfrom this arm 52 depends apull cord, or wire, 53 having a loop at its lower end through which saidfinger and said arm extend loosely. The pull cord to the bottom of itsloop being of such length that the gate 49 is unaffected by the downwardmovement of the arm 37 until such arm has moved downwardly sufiicientlyfar to have caused the extreme outer lower corner of the block 4|carrying the cigarette being dispensed to be raised substantially levelwith the lower wall of the delivery mouth 6, upon which the arm 31exerts a downward pull on the pull cord causing the gate to be swung onits fulcrum pin and thus moved upwardly away from the entrance to thedelivery mouth 6 to permit a cigarette to roll into said delivery mouth.

The gate 50 lies within the housing 38 and parallel with the wall 3 andextends transversely of the device and is pivoted at its one end on apin 55 extending laterally from the block 4| slightly in advance of thefulcrum point of the latter, and is provided near its other end with adiagonal slot 56 receiving a pin 51 extending from the wall 3 at a pointbelow the delivery mouth 8.

The connections between the gate at and the rack 4| and the wall 3 areso related that said gate will not be effected by movement of the freeend of said rack to a point where the lower outer corner of said rackhas reached the level of the lower wall of the delivery mouth, but fromthat point, which is the point from which movement of the gate 49 awayfrom the entrance to the delivery mouth commences, the pull of the rack4| on the inner end of the gate 50 will cause said gate to be raised toa position across the delivery mouth to prevent the escape of acigarette, which has been allowed to roll into said delivery mouththrough the raising of the gate 49. Release of tilting pressure on theplate will permit of the springs 24 acting to raise the hinged member 26and consequently the finger 33 and the arm 31, thus returning the rack4| to its horizontal position during which return the gate 50 is moveddownwardly away from the delivery mouth, but only completely frees themouth after the rack 4| has assumed a position to take control of thecigarette, so that the cigarette in the mouth will roll onto the rackready for the next dispensing operation. As the gate 5|) is movingdownwardly to free the one side of the delivery mouth to permit thecigarette lying therein to roll on to the rack the gate 43 lowerscoincidently to block the entrance to said delivery mouth againstmovement of a cigarette therein until on the next dispensing movementthe gate 58 is raised to hold a cigarette within said delivery mouth,coincidently with which raising of the gate 5|! the gate 49 will againrise to admit the next cigarette to the delivery mouth.

58 is a plate, or other device, adapted to rest on the cigarettes withinthe compartment 4 to hold them down and keep them in alignment.

A container 59 adapted to contain a suitable moistening element issuspended in any desired manner, preferably below the compartment 4.

In Figures 8 and 9 a modified construction is shown in which thedepressor element 30 is located wholly within the casing or cover and islocated below a horizontally disposed plate 60 which is accessiblethrough a suitable opening 6| in the cover B, whereby it may bedepressed by finger pressure on the said plate. The plate 60 preferablyhas a downwardly turned portion 62 slidable vertically in suitablebrackets 63 carried by the end wall of the cover.

Assuming that the device has been previously in operation with aquantity of cigarettes in the compartment 4 held down by the member 58and that the cover is in position with the opening 48 above the elevator45 and that the hand operated depressor is in position with its armsinserted through the openings in the cover and extended into theopenings 32 in the wall 2, the device may be operated in the followingmanner to dispense the cigarettes one at a time.

The member 30 is pressed downwardly and thus causes the arm thereof inthe opening above the recess 5 to engage the portion 2| of the plate andforce it downwardly, thus tilting the plate 20 and thereby causing thehinged member 26 to be drawn downwardly vertically. This downwardmovement of the member 26 causes coincident downward movement of thefinger 33 and the arm 31 with the result that the elevator 45 is drawndownwardly and at the same time the rack 4|, on which a cigarette hasbeen lying transversely of the device since the last return movement ofthe rack to its horizontal position, is rotated on its pivot and therack is then brought to a vertical position raising the cigarette, whichlatter as it nears its vertical position drops endwise on to the ledge46 of the elevator. Coincident with the movement of the free end of therack 4| in its rising movement past the delivery mouth 6 the gate 59 ismoved by the further rise of the rack, to a position across saiddelivery mouth, and simultaneously with the blocking movement of thegate 50 the gate 49 is pivoted by the downward pull of the arm 31 on thepull cord 53 and thereby caused to rise and free the entrance to thedelivery mouth whereby the cigarette nearest said mouth will roll intosaid mouth against the gate 50, ready to drop out on to the rack 4| onthe withdrawal of said gate 59. It will be noted that on the downwardtilting movement of the plate 20 the spring tongue I! forming a part ofthe bottom of the cigarette container will move downwardly and thusdisturb the cigarettes and cause rolling movement thereof towards thedelivery mouth, and that on reaching its lowermost position thecigarettes, except those already in the narrow passage above the frontpermanent bottom section 9, will be lowered on to the straps l4 and I5with the foremost cigarette blocked from forward movement by the inneredge of said section 9, and therefore preventing congestion in saidpassage. Release of pressure on the member will allow the springs 24 toraise the plate 20 and consequently the tongue H, the finger 33 and thearm 31, and also results in the raising of the elevator to move thecigarette thereon upwardly into exposure through the opening 48 in thecover B. As the finger 33 and the arm 31 rise the gate 49 is freed andallowed to drop across the entrance to the delivery mouth and rack 4|drops to its horizontal position and in so doing moves the gate 50 awayfrom the delivery mouth and allows the cigarette therein to roll on tothe rack 4| for future delivery.

While I have illustrated and described the present preferred forms ofconstruction for carrying out my invention, these are capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention, I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What I claim is z 1. In a cigarette dispenser, a cigarette compartmenthaving a transverse delivery slot in one wall and a bottom inclined tosaid delivery slot, said bottom being open for a portion of its area, atongue of a spring material extending into the Open portion of saidbottom and being spring uged downwardly, spring urged means normallyholding said tongue on a higher level than the surrounding portion ofsaid bottom whereby to support the cigarettes thereon above the portionsof said bottom atthe sides of said tongue, a rack positioned withoutsaid compartment and adapted to receive a cigarette falling from saiddelivery slot, said rack being fulcrumed at its end near one side ofsaid compartment to tilt to a vertical position and carry a cigarettetherewith, a

"gate within said compartment blocking said delivery slot when said rackis in position to receive a cigarette from said delivery slot andmovable to free said delivery slot on the upward movement of said rack,a second gate positioned without said compartment below said deliveryslot and movable across said delivery slot on the upward movement ofsaid rack, and means connected to said spring urged means and operatedon the downward movement of the latter to impart coincident movement tosaid rack and said gates.

2. In a cigarette dispenser, a cigarette contpartment having atransverse delivery slot in one wall and a bottom inclined to saiddelivery slot, said bottom being open for a portion of its area, atongue extending into the open portion of said bottom and spring urgeddownwardly, a plate positioned beneath said tongue, said plate beingpivotally supported along one of its edges only, spring means urgingsaid plate upwardly at one side of its fulcrum point and yieldinglyholding said tongue above the surrounding portion of said bottom, a rackpositioned without said compartment and adapted to receive a cigarettefalling from said delivery slot, said rack being tiltable endwise to avertical position at one side of said compartment to carry a cigaretteto a vertical position, a gate within said compartment blocking theentrance to said delivery slot when said rack is in position to receivea cigarette from said delivery slot and movable to free the entrance tosaid delivery slot on the upward movement of said rack, a second gatepositioned without said compartment below said delivery slot and movableacross said delivery slot on the upward movement of said rack, and meansoperated by said plate on the downward movement thereof to impartcoincident upward movement to said rack and said gates and downwardmovement to said tongue.

3. In a cigarette dispenser, a frame, a cigarette compartment mountedwithin said frame, said compartment having a transverse delivery slot inone wall and a bottom inclined to said slot, said bottom having acut-out portion bordered by narrow parallel side straps and relativelywide end pieces, a tongue extending into said outout portion andspring-urged downwardly, a plate positioned beneath said tongue, saidplate being pivotally supported at one edge thereof near one side ofsaid frame, spring means urging the said plate upwardly at one side ofits fulcrum point and holding said tongue normally to a position abovethe said side straps of said bottom whereby to hold the cigarettes onsaid tongue free of engagement with said side straps, a rack positionedwithout said compartment and adapted to receive a cigarette falling fromsaid delivery slot, said rack being tiltable to a vertical position atone side of said compartment to carry the cigarette deposited thereontransversely of the compartment to a vertical position, a pivoted gatewithin said compartment normally blocking the entrance to said deliveryslot, a gate without said compartment movable upwardly to block the exitfrom said delivery slot, means operable through the downward swingingmovement of said plate to cause downward movement of said tongue tolower the cigarettes thereon for supporting by said side straps, andcoincident upward movement of said rack and said gates.

4. A cigarette dispenser as set out in claim 3, in which the said gatesare spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate a cigarette lyin on thelower wall of said delivery slot.

5. A cigarette dispenser as set out in claim 3, in which the said gatewithin said compartment is adapted to fall by gravity to a position overthe entrance to said delivery slot during the return of said rack to ahorizontal position.

6. A cigarette dispenser as set out in claim 3, in which the outer gatehas pivoted connection with said rack whereby movement of said rack ineither direction will cause coincident move ment of said gate.

'7. A cigarette dispenser as set out in claim 3, in which the outer gateis provided with a diagonal slot embracing a guide pin extending fromthe adjacent wall of the compartment whereby to limit the upwardmovement of said outer gate.

8. A cigarette dispenser as set out in claim 3, in which the said sidestraps of said bottom extend downwardly from the rear end piece ingradually increasing deviation from: the common plane of incline of thefront and rear end pieces of the compartment and provide a cradleimmediately to the rear of the front end piece, whereby on the loweringof said tongue due to the downward movementof said plate the forwardmovement of the cigarettes towards the entrance to said deliver slotwill be retarded.

9. In a cigarette dispenser, a frame, a casing embracing said frame andhaving a delivery opening through the top thereof, a cigarettecompartment supported within said frame in spaced relation to the bottomthereof, said compartment having a transverse delivery slot in one wallthereof and a bottom inclined to said delivery slot, said bottom havinga cut-out portion bordered by end pieces and relatively narrow sidestraps connecting said end pieces, a tongue extending into said cut-outportion and springurged downwardly, a plate positioned beneath saidtongue, said plate being mounted at one side of said frame to swingupwardly and downwardly, spring means exerting upward pressure againstthe under side of said plate to hold said plate to a normally horizontalposition and said tongue to a position above said side straps of saidbottom, said spring means being compressible to move said platedownwards, a rack positioned without said compartment and normallyassuming a position transversely of said compartment and adapted toreceive a cigarette falling from said delivery slot, said rack beingpivoted at one end to swing to a vertical position beneath said deliveryopening in said casing, an elevator movable vertically in said framebeneath said delivery opening in said casing and adapted to receive acigarette from said rack on the upward movement of said rack fordelivery through said opening, a gate pivotally mounted within saidcompartment normally blocking the entrance to said delivery slot, a gatewithout said compartment normally lying below the exit from saiddelivery slot, means operable through the downward swinging movement oisaid plate to cause downward movement of said tongue and of saidelevator and coincident upward movement of said rack and said gates,said spring means operating on the release of downward pressure on saidplate to cause upward movement of said elevator to eject a cigarettethrough said delivery opening, and manually operable means accessibleexteriorly of the casing for exerting downward pressure on said plate.

10. A cigarette dispenser as set out in claim 9, in which said elevatoris provided with spring clips between which the cigarette is forced bysaid rack in the upward movement of the latter.

11. A cigarette dispenser as set out in claim 9, in which said elevatoris provided with a horizontal ledge on which the lower end of thecigarette is adapted to rest when deposited thereon by said rack.

12. A cigarette dispenser as set out in claim 9, in which said means forproviding downward pressure on said plate comprises a depressible memberaccessible exteriorly of the casing and having an arm extending into theeasing into engagement with the top face of said plate.

13. In a cigarette dispenser, a frame, a cigarette compartment supportedwithin said frame above the bottom thereof, said compartment havin atransverse delivery slot through the front wall thereof and a bottominclined to said delivery slot, a rack positioned without saidcompartment and adapted to receive a cigarette falling from saiddelivery slot, said rack being fulcrumed near one side of saidcompartment to tilt to a vertical position and carry a cigarettetherewith, a gate within said compartment normally lying across theentrance to said delivery 12 slot, a gate without said compartmentnormally lying below the exit from said delivery slot, an elevatoradapted to receive a cigarette from said rack upon the latter reachingits vertical position, a plate positioned beneath the bottom of saidcompartment and normally lying on a horizontal plane, said plate beingpivotally supported along one edge thereof at one side of said frame,spring means yieldingly holding said plate to a horizontal position,said plate having a hinged extension along its free edge at the side ofsaid frame opposite to that at which said plate is pivoted, spring meanscarried by said plate and exerting downward pressure on said hingedextension, an arm carried by said hinged extension and connected to saidelevator, whereby downward movement of said hinged extension will causedownward movement of said elevator, an arm carried by said plate andconnected to said rack whereby downward movement of said plate willcause said rack to be tilted to a vertical position, means adapted to beengaged by said plate during the downward movement thereof to swing saidgate within said compartment away from the entrance to said deliveryslot during the latter period of the upward movement of said rack, and amanually operable depressible member for depressing said plate.

J HON G LAICHEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 387,670 Whittaker Aug. 14, 1888466,928 Graves Jan. 12, 1892 615,359 Mereness Dec. 6, 1898 1,997,796 JayApr. 16, 1935

